After a day of traveling, Nidhogg finally learned that the mysterious wizard was named Arnovoz, and their destination was a wizard academy called Lilith Cottage.

The journey to this wizard academy was very long, requiring at least two months of sea travel.

"Before we reach Zeralto Harbor, we will visit two more cities. During this time, if you have any basic questions, I can answer one for free," Arnovoz said smoothly as they walked along the path.

After a day of observation, Nidhogg noticed that among the six wizard apprentices, the one closest to the great wizard was Giron.

It was understandable, as Giron had almost become Arnovoz’s personal servant, attending to him diligently, and received several benefits from the wizard as a result.

However, this had made Giron disliked by the other five wizard apprentices because of his disdainful and arrogant demeanor towards them, as if he were superior to the others.

"Master, you are truly great. I find the spiritual meditation technique you taught me the other day quite profound and difficult to understand..." Giron said, carrying a large bundle filled with the wizard’s odds and ends, being the first to consult the wizard due to his closeness.

Wade, who also wanted to ask the wizard questions, cursed under his breath, "Damn, such a sycophant."

With a disdainful sneer, Wade silently followed behind.

Yorkris, walking further back with his sister Yorkliana, watched the two vying to consult with the wizard and scoffed, "Hmph, two fools without wizard talent. When I become a great wizard at the academy, they'll just be licking my boots."

His sister Yorkliana remained silent, seemingly a girl with no opinions of her own.

Nidhogg did not rush forward to ask the wizard questions. The two things he truly wanted to know were what the wizarding world was really like and the reasons behind wizards’ mastery of mysterious magic. Since the wizard would only answer one question, which would he choose?

He took particular note of the word "free" that the wizard used. Did this imply that at the wizard academy, apprentices would have to pay to consult with formal wizards?

Wanting to make the most of this free opportunity, Nidhogg turned his attention to Nina, who was trailing at the end of the group, looking sullen.

Nina, the mayor’s daughter from Bissel City, was the only one among the six apprentices who had not volunteered for this path; she had been forced by her father to go to Lilith Cottage. Perhaps she knew more about the wizard academy than the others.

Nidhogg was most curious about two things: what the wizarding world was truly like and the reason behind wizards' mastery of mysterious magic. The second question seemed deep, but regarding the first, surely the mayor's daughter knew something.

So, Nidhogg quietly drifted toward Nina.

"The wizard world?" Nina, lost in her sorrow, glanced at Nidhogg in surprise.

When he approached her, Nina assumed he wanted to get close, as interactions among nobles were common, and she had experienced many seemingly accidental encounters as the mayor's daughter.

Though Nina disliked aristocratic sycophants, she disliked commoners even more and would usually not give Nidhogg the time of day. Yet, considering the life awaiting her...

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Biting her lip, she looked at Nidhogg's eager and longing expression, and her delicate face showed sadness as she sighed.

"In truth, the wizarding continent is not as beautiful as you imagine. First of all, whatever status you have here is meaningless there because you might never return in your lifetime."

Nidhogg was greatly shocked. Never return in a lifetime? Was it imprisonment?

Seeing that Nidhogg had misunderstood, Nina softly explained, "Before becoming a formal wizard, we will live in a place called the wizarding continent, a vast region beyond imagination. Don't try to grasp its size—it's far larger than you think. Wizards are supreme there, or more accurately, the power they wield is supreme..."

Half a day later, Nidhogg was deeply shocked by all Nina had shared. If the wizard world was as she described, it was certainly not the idealized world he had imagined.

"In the wizard world, without power, magical stones, or a background, it's best to remain low-key and do what you're supposed to do, or death will be an all too common occurrence," Nina said coldly.

Nidhogg swallowed, gradually coming to terms with this harsh reality. He began to waver, pondering if he should back out entirely.

After all, Nina’s depiction of the wizard world was terrifying—where life seemed worthless and no nobility reined in those wizards. As a mere apprentice, he might one day be erased from existence by a more powerful wizard.

He was just a commoner who hadn't seen the world.

Nina, noting Nidhogg's fearful demeanor, decided not to crush his spirit further, shaking her head.

"Of course, the wizarding continent isn't as terrifying as you think. It has its own rules, governed by wizard academies with unimaginable power."

Silently moving with the group, Nidhogg finally raised his head after a long silence, his gaze resolute.

If fear made him retreat, he might return to a comfortable life in Bissel City but would also lose the only chance to truly see this wondrous world!

Moreover, recalling the viscount's butler's face or how he and Old Nero were bullied by knights...

Now that he was a wizard apprentice, even the esteemed mayor treated him with respect—that was the difference...

Seeing Nidhogg's resolve, Nina sneered.

"Hmph, fortunately, you made the right choice. I’d bet that if you dared tell Master Arnovoz you wanted to quit, he’d deal with you on the spot. Look, like over there."

Trailing behind the group, both Nidhogg and Nina glanced where she pointed, leaving him utterly shocked.

Ahead, the bodies of seven or eight ragged bandits lay sprawled out, terror etched in their eyes. The wizard acted so swiftly that Nidhogg hadn't realized the group was under attack before most of the attackers were dead.

Boom!

The red-eyed frog, seven or eight meters tall, fell from the sky, landing on the last fleeing bandit.

With a sickening crunch, the bandit was reduced to a bloody pulp. Yorkris, consulting the wizard beside Arnovoz, was utterly stunned, his legs trembling.

Nidhogg felt his own legs turn to jelly, knowing his face must be ashen—little better than Yorkris.

Nina, though pale, maintained her composure.

Gurgle, gurgle...

The frog shrank back down, hopping onto Arnovoz’s hand, as the wizard continued leading them as if nothing had happened.

An hourglass later, Nidhogg stood respectfully beside the wizard, ready to ask his question.

"The principles behind a wizard’s magical power? Hmm, that’s a good question."

Arnovoz surprisingly praised Nidhogg, adding, "Very good!"

Nidhogg looked at the wizard in surprise.

"I have mentored many wizard apprentices, more than 90% ask me to teach them killing spells, ignoring the essence of wizardry. The remaining few ask disorganized and aimless questions. None have ever asked such an insightful question."

Insightful question? What insight?

Nidhogg didn't quite understand.

Arnovoz suddenly tossed him a book.

"To answer your question with words of a great wizard: give me endless knowledge, and I shall move the infinite worlds, using myself as a fulcrum. For a wizard, true power lies in the knowledge they possess and their own magic. But ultimately, you will find that all of a wizard's power sources from the knowledge they hold."

Arnovoz pointed at the book in Nidhogg's hands, "This 'Guide to Meditation' is my gift to you, containing some of my insights."

Nidhogg stared blankly at the "Guide to Meditation," disbelief in his eyes.

"Using one's own magic as a fulcrum and infinite knowledge as a lever to move the infinite worlds? If both personal magic and acquired knowledge are foundational to a wizard's power, why does Arnovoz claim that knowledge is the ultimate source of wizardry?"

One question after another left Nidhogg feeling bewildered.

However, seeing Arnovoz already walking away, having answered one question per person, Nidhogg dared not press further.

What Nidhogg didn't realize was that these questions, if answered, would form the knowledge of the wizarding world.